There’s no doubting that it’s a beautiful place to visit, but the heaving mass of selfie stick-toting tourists can make a trip to Venice something of a stressful experience.
With its own smaller network of canals and stunning architecture, the small town of Comacchio makes a wonderful alternative where you won’t have to face the elbowing throngs.
Comacchio is an ancient town in the Emilia Romagna region of northern Italy, located 30 miles from the provincial capital of Ferrara.
The town is built on more than thirteen different islets joined by bridges, supporting fish farming and salt ponds.
Above can be seen the historic Trepponti (1638), built by Giovanni Pietro da Lugano to a design by Luca Danese of Ravenna.
The bridge consists of five elegant brick staircases built at the confluence of five canals, and guarded by two small towers.
With its ancient canals, the town has been dubbed ‘Little Venice’ (but without the heaving crowds) and it’s a magical place to walk around at night. Here’s some photos from my visit:
Clock Tower of Comacchio
Restaurants on the canal.
A short distance from town is the Valli di Comacchio, meaning “fish basins of Comacchio”, are a series of contiguous brackish lagoons situated to the south of Comacchio.
The area, covering almost 17,000 hectares within the Parco regionale del Delta del Po, is classified as a Site of Community Importance and a Special Protection Area. It’s a beautiful place to take a stroll at dusk.
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